Habits Die Hard
by ADAMalchemist
Summary: Everyone has habits. Stuttering, repeating words. Some habits are worse then others.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been watching this movie nonstop. Seriously, my favorite movie. Might cosplay from it. Check out my facebook for updates. Anyway, I don't own Rise of the Guardians, blah blah blah. Enjoy? Warning, I might suck at this.**

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I knew today wasn't going to go well.

Which was strange. The sky was perfect, the sun shined brightly, and everyone seemed happy. But, since I woke up, something was churning my stomach at the nagging feeling that today was not going to be a good day. And everyone who I passed saw it clearly written on my face.

As always, I strolled down to the farm, which wasn't to far away from my home, and took care of the sheep. My knuckles turned white as I held my crook, my mind swirling with thoughts on why today would be so bad. There were no wolves around, the bears haven't come out of hibernation, and everyone seemed to be completely fine. So…why wasn't I? After a while, one of the other shepherds walked over and excused me for the rest of the day, saying that I looked sick.

During the walk back home, children ran around with their new toys. Dolls, tops, and wheels were tossed all around. Some hitting me upside the head, some slashing my feet down below. When I finally got home, my sister was sitting on the front steps of the house playing silently with her new doll. I smiled and greeted her, tickling her chin as she tried to greet me back. She giggled and pushed my hand away. Her laughter caused me to smile and offer to bring her to the pond for ice skating lessons.

We had just gotten them for Christmas and have yet to try them out. Maybe a little fun on the ice would calm me down, lighten my mood. She smiled and agreed, quickly going inside to get them with me.

But, now, as I stared at the ice breaking under her, I can see that this wasn't a good idea.

Slowly as to not break any more ice, I kneeled down to be eye level with her. I placed my skates on the surface and turned back to meet her frightened gaze.

"It's okay, it's okay. Don't look down, just look at me." I said.

"Jack…" She whimpered. "I'm scared…"

The ice began to crack more, making my heart fall into my stomach. "I know, I know…" I stuttered. Repeating something was a nasty, nervous habit of mine and I hated myself for it. It was clear that I was just as scared as she was, maybe even more. And this just made it worse for her.

I looked down at my own feet as I tried to make my way over to her. The sound of ice breaking froze me in place and fear swept into my very core. No, I wasn't going to let her know how scared I was. Allowing my lips to curl into a smile, I looked back at her, shaking my head slightly as I looked her and the ice over.

"But, you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in." Looking down at the distance between us, I tried to think of the best way to calm her down. Smiling, I looked back at her, trying to make my way over.

"We're gonna have some fun instead."

Her face twisted, showing how scared she actually was. "No, we're not!" She screamed at me, almost like she was trying to tell me to knock it off.

"Would I trick you?" I asked, trying to walk over without breaking the ice. Which, was no use. It only cracked even more.

"Yes!" She screamed, adjusting herself slightly, white cracks appearing under her feet. "You always play tricks!"

I chuckled, freezing in place. "Well, alright, well, not, not, not this time. I promise, I promise, you're gonna be…" If I was going to calm her down and get us both out, then I'd have to calm myself down first. A list of games we could play rolled through my head as I talked, my voice becoming steady.

"You're gonna be fine. You have to believe in me."

We stared at each other, her eyes still filled with fear. I smiled, thinking back to the other day.

"You wanna play a game?" I asked, straightening up. "We're gonna play hopscotch! Like we play everyday."

As soon as I mentioned the name, her face lightened up, a small smile forming at the corner of her mouth. She didn't seem as scared.

"It's as easy as, uh, one…" I placed my foot a little ways away from where I stood, the ice cracking underneath. It didn't look good at all and I began to imagine us falling into the water below. Still, I smiled at my sister, waving my arms and leg around.

She smiled back and laughed, watching as I carefully put my other foot down. "Two…" I said, watching her.

"Three!" The ice around my crook was solid, but I still knelt down carefully as I took it.

"Alright," I said, my voice becoming softer. "now it's your turn. One…"

I watched as she looked down at the ice with the same look she gave the ground whenever we played. Determination that she would win. As she slid her foot forward, the ice cracked more and her look washed away with a gasp.

"That's it, that's it…two…" I muttered, bracing myself.

She slid her other foot forward, giving another gasp as she looked at me then the ice. "Three…" My voice came out as a whisper as I leaned forward.

In one, swift motion, I wrapped my crook around her waist and threw her across the pond. Sitting up as fast as I could, I smiled at my sister who examined the spot she had landed on. When there were no white cracks to be found, she smiled up at me with relief and enjoyment. Letting out a small laugh, I stood up. I slid my foot forward only to hear the familiar crackling of ice.

My sister gasped at the same time I did, her voice turning into a horrible scream I had only heard when she was just a baby.

"_**Jack!**_"

Then, almost everything was silent. The water all around me turned my body numb and I began to panic. My arms moved slightly but not enough to get the rest of me moving. Everything seemed to slow down after a while. I felt hands, cold hands pull me down further and further into the pond. The water around slowly began to turn black from it's usual blue. I could feel it enter me, fill my lungs, weigh me down.

Today did not go well _at all_.


	2. Chapter 2

"I still don't understand…why would people make a game like this?"

The music that came from the television seemed familiar but the lyrics were all wrong. In all my years, I had never heard such a language before. It sounded like someone was singing just to hear their voice.

Jamie chuckled slightly, glancing over at me. "It's just for fun. You can be whatever you want, whoever you want. You can have a family, a life, even be famous!"

"Can't you do that in real life?" I still couldn't get over how deep his voice had become. It seemed like only yesterday, all he need was a long wig and a dress to pull off being a girl.

Everything had gone by so fast. Which was strange. Usually, things went by so slow. It used to take years just for one month to go by. But, since that night long ago, a year went by faster. All the kids grew up within what seemed like a day. Some of them still see me and tell stories about me to the other children. It felt good to be believed in, but, there were days I wished everything was back to normal. Back in the days when I was just an expression.

With a yawn, Jamie picked up his mug of coffee and took another sip. He did this often, stay up with me so I didn't feel lonely. On most nights, I would tell him I was getting sleepy and he'd quickly fall asleep. On other nights, though, he'd make pots and pots of coffee just so he could stay up with me.

"Yeah, you can do this in real life. But, my lifetime wish is Master Thief. If I ever did this in real life, I'd end up in jail." He explained.

I nodded and watched as his character did normal tasks around his house. Prepare food, feed everyone, take a shower. He had made everyone in his family. Him, his mom, Sophie, and even me. It was kind of funny to watch all of them interact.

Leaning my chin on my knees, I took the control that Jamie had handed to me. "It looks boring." I mumbled, making my character play on the playground not to far from the house.

"It only seems that way." He said, sticking a Red Vine in his mouth. "But once you start playing, you can't stop."

The floor of his bedroom was litter with candy wrappers, soda cans, and chip bags. If his mother came in and saw, she wouldn't have believed the truth. That two teenaged boys caused this mess.

I took a sip from my can of soda and glanced over at the clock. 2:56am. "Jamie, don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Ugh, damn it…" He grumbled, saving the game.

Even though he was sixteen, I still didn't agree with his new habit. This whole swearing thing seemed to be getting worse and worse. Sometimes, me and the other Guardians would pick up on it and swear without even knowing. After a while, we caught on and forced ourselves to stop. Unless one of us became angry or needed to express ourselves in such a way. Just because you work in a candy shop doesn't mean you need to be little sweet tooth.

With a long sigh, he reached over and turned off the console. "You're right…I have school at seven forty-five."

I smiled and stood up, helping him pick up the mess. Most of it was easy. He had a small fridge that held up his television and it held all of the sodas. There was a rather large trash can near his door, so that was helpful. Sadly, we still had the potato chips and cheetos.

Crawling down the stairs and into the kitchen was slightly easy. Sophie was fast asleep and their dog was to old to even care about what was going on. Our biggest problem was his mother. She had better ears then rabbits and dogs combined. When Jamie was younger, we used to sneak down like secret agents. Dressed in black, walkie talkies, nurf guns, the works. Most of the time, he got away with it. Other times, his mother caught him and just sent him back to his room. As the years went on, all we simply did was walk down to the kitchen or bathroom. Nothing special. No binoculars, no black beanie caps, no secret hand signals. Everyone warned me of this. I just never thought it would actually happen.

Nothing much of his house had changed. Same living room set, same dinning room set. The kitchen was painted different and so wasn't the bedrooms. There were more pictures then before, most of them taken outside. The only recent picture of him was a family photo. They took one every year. Their mother sat in a chair, usually in a green dress. Jamie would stand next to her, his hands on her right shoulder. And Sophie would stand in front of him, her hands on her mother's knee. I smiled as I stared at the picture. They seemed so happy, so connected. If only me and my family had taken a picture together.

"Hey," Jamie said, looking at me from the kitchen. "you alright?"

I turned to him and nodded, looking back at the picture. "Just thinking, you know?"

He walked over to me and looked over the picture as well. "What was your family like?" He asked, looking at me.

"I don't remember much." I answered, shrugging. "I can't really remember my mom's face. She really wanted me to have a good education, though. And my sister…I remember her laugh. And her smile."

He smiled slightly and leaned against my shoulder, yawning slightly. With a chuckle, I pushed him off. "Come on, you. Time for bed."

We walked up the stairs silently as to not wake up his mom and quickly went into his room. Without a moment of hesitation, Jamie flopped onto the bed and was out like a light. He hadn't been this tired in a while. I smiled, rearranged some things, and flew out the window.

Most places didn't need to be frosted at this time of the year. It was summer and everyone wanted the warmth. Well, mostly everyone. I didn't enjoy the hot days all too much. And, almost all summer, Jamie and his family had been to the beach. I came every once in a while just to sit and watch. If I had gone into the water, everything would have froze.

Tonight, though, there was no one else down here. Just me, the water, and the moon. I placed my foot near the water, smiling at how cold it was. Hesitantly, I stood up and slowly walked deeper in until it was up to my chest. Thin frost began covering the top of the water, but I broke it as I splashed around.

The cool water was refreshing and made me feel clean. Slowly, I leaned back and just allowed my body to float. Every part of me tingled, my muscles loosened up. It was completely relaxing. I closed my eyes and just floated there for who knows how long.

* * *

In some, strange way, I was happy I never lived in this time period like a normal teen. Way back when, my teacher wasn't as strict and life seemed to be easier. Back then, you could marry at sixteen. Looks didn't matter as much. Now, the person you date is a big statement and the clothes you were says everything about who you are.

Girls used to wear long sleeved dresses and almost every part of them was covered. Looking around the room, I was in shock. Most of the girls wore spaghetti strap tank tops with shorts that were much too short. It was the first day of school, so, it was still summer. I understood that. But, it seemed like only last week, Pippa and Cupcake were wearing pants and tights. Now it's short shorts and miniskirts.

I hated this growing up business.

Sitting on the window sill, I watched as Jamie took his first test. Pippa leaned over and smiled, shaking her head.

"Jamie Bennett, you are _horrible_ at math." She commented in a whisper.

He chuckled slightly and moved his paper out of her sight. "Well, you should tutor me then. You are top in the class."

"You two! Less talking, more working!" The teacher spat, returning back to his book when the room was silent.

I smiled and stood by his desk, looking down at the book. It didn't seem all that interesting, no conversations on either page. "You're boring with a capitol 'B'." I said.

This caused the two best friends to look up and stare at me. Of course, this caused me to smile. It was about time we had some fun.

I walked over to the window and opened it some more, whispering to the wind. In reply, the wind blew into the room and flipped a few pages in the teacher's book. He grumbled and tried turning back, but the wind wouldn't let him. Jamie and Pippa tried their hardest to hide their laughter as well as some other teenagers. I chuckled and grabbed the book, throwing it across the room. This only made the teacher scream in anger. Some of the teens couldn't handle it anymore and burst out laughing.

"_**Enough**_!" He screamed, storming back to his desk.

I looked over at my best friend, smiling as I watched him chuckle.

The walk to his house was not very long. Pippa had already went home so it was just me and him. Usually, we always had something to talk about. Then again, usually, I was over at Bunnymund's warren and he was at the beach. Every few seconds he would burst into a small chuckle trying to say how funny my little prank was. The other townsfolk would stare at him as he walked by. When he was little, they all thought it was cute that he still had some sort of old time childhood innocence. But, now, it was just weird to them that he still had 'imaginary' friends.

He leaned against me slightly, trying to catch his breath as he laughed. "T-the look on his face!" He chuckled out, tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

I smiled and laughed slightly. "It was pricless."

The closer we got to his house, the less he smiled. He opened the gate to his backyard and almost sighed as he looked his house over.

"What's the matter, Jamie?" I asked.

He turned to me and shrugged. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"Just for a day or two."

Jamie nodded and walked inside, greeting his dog and mother. The wind blew softly, slightly pushing me toward the gate as it did. I sighed and jumped on the gate, allowing it to bring me into the air and carry me. Before I knew it, North's snowy roof sat under my feet.

"Thanks wind." I said and laid down, staring at the sky.

It was strange, seeing a blue, sunny sky one second then seeing a dark, night sky the next. The cold air felt good against my skin. Once again, the wind whispered to me, telling me to go inside. That the meeting would begin any moment. I chuckled and shook my head, whispering back that I'd be fine, it won't start for a while.

This is how it used to be; just me and the wind. Back before anyone saw me, before anyone seemed to want anything to do with me, the wind was there. I would pretend it spoke to me and I would speak back to it. One day, Tooth caught me whispering to the wind and asked if something was wrong. Doing this had become such a habit.

I stared at the sky, watching each star blink silently. The light from the moon shined off the snow around me and made it twinkle just the same. Everything was so calming, the only noise coming from the toyshop inside. Now and again, the sound of hammers banging and drills spinning met my ears, making me remember where I was. After what seemed like forever, I finally walked inside and was greeted by the small elves that ran around. They offered me a glass of eggnog, which I took, and escorted me to the main meeting area. Toy planes flew all around, fire trucks honked under my feet. The noise was louder then I thought it was.

"Finally! Thought one of us would have ta start lookin' for ya." Bunnymund groaned as he plopped onto the couch by the fire place.

I smiled slightly and sat in the one across from him. "What'd I miss?"

Images started rapidly appearing over Sandy's head. I raised an eyebrow as I watched, trying to keep up. North shook his head and waved his hand over the pictures.

"We were waiting for you." He said, sitting in his usual chair.

Tooth floated not to far away from us, whispering addresses to the small fairies around her. They scattered off to do their duties save for Baby Tooth.

"So, what's going on?" I asked, leaning back into the couch and putting my feet up on the coffee table.

An elf quickly swatted at them, forcing me to put them down and watch in amusement as he began cleaning the spot. "Lights have been goin' out. One by one." Bunny said, crossing his arms.

"At first, one a day. Now, three a day." North played with his thumb ring, obviously troubled.

"I fear Pitch has something to do with this."

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**A/N: Should I continue? - ADAM**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks you guys for the reviews! It keeps me motivated to keep writing. Anyway, um, enojy. I'm not used to saying 'enjoy'. **

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Everything was quiet. It was almost like the world had suddenly stopped. The Yetis froze in place and the elves stared at each other in confusion. Almost as if they were afraid. Yes, the last time we had a run in with Pitch, almost every child in the world stopped believing. North's age began to show, Tooth's feathers were falling out and her wings were falling apart, Bunnymund was the cute little ball of fluff everyone expected an Easter bunny to be, and Sandy…we had lost.

And now that I was a Guardian, I began wondering what would happen to me if children stopped believing. Would I become warmer? Would I get sick?

Bunny began tapping his foot on the ground, his eyes darting back and forth like a kitten looking for the laser pointer fairy.

"Oh please. After what happened last time, would he really want to try again?" I asked, laying down on the overly soft couch.

I felt eyes glaring at me but I kept my gaze at the detailed ceiling. "An' you didn' stop gettin' our attention after we told ya to?" Bunny asked harshly. "Pitch won't stop until he gets wha' he wants."

"Ever think that maybe, just maybe, he has nothing to do with this?" I sat up and looked over the others.

Their eyes were wide and faces twisted with confusion. Sandy smiled, holding a hand to his mouth like he was trying to stop himself from laughing. I stood up and grabbed my crook, walking around the small seating area.

"Ever think that the kids are just growing up? I mean, look at Jamie. He's sixteen now. Most kids his age don't believe in us. Some kids _Sophie's_ age don't believe in us nowadays and she's eight!"

Tooth nodded, floating closer to the ground as she thought. "There _is_ a nasty rumor going around…"

"Rumor or not, children have always believed in Guardians!" North roared, standing up. "Lights have been going out to fast for it to be growing problem!" He walked over to the Globe's controls, looking over the huge sphere that sat in the middle of the building.

The rest of us walked over and watched it slowly turn. At first, I thought they were blowing this out of proportion. That they just didn't want to admit that the children were growing up. But, as I stared at the glowing orb, I felt my eyes go wide with slight shock. They were right. The lights were going out before I could even open my mouth to take in a breath. Tooth floated down to stand on her feet, something she hardly _ever_ did. She placed a hand on my shoulder and one on my arm as if to comfort me.

"See? They aren't growing up. They're just not believing anymore."

Baby Tooth made her way over to my other shoulder, looking like she was out of breath from flying. I looked down at her, softly petting her head with my finger. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Bunny shook his head. "It's summer, mate. Not like last time when all we needed was your snow. Only ones tha' work this time of the year are Sandy and Tooth."

"And we've done all we can to try and get them to believe." She said, a feather from the side of her head poking out and threatening to fall.

Silence swept over the building. Tooth nibbled on the tip of her finger in thought, making sure not to bite down on her nails. North played with his thumb ring again. I couldn't tell if he was nervous, scared, or just plan angry. Sandy tapped his chin lightly, his brow twisted as he thought. Bunny began stamping his large foot against the floor and I could feel my heart race as I prepared myself for a sudden tunnel opening.

"Maybe, maybe we could…we could…" But we can't. There was really nothing we could do without tipping the balance of things.

If I created a snow storm in August, things would go insane. The one that brings autumn would have my head if that happened. I looked down at Sandy who shook his head, ending any thought that was going through his mind. He floated up to the curved windows above, leaving. Tooth soon followed, Baby Tooth staying behind. The four of us watched and sighed as we continued trying to think of ways of getting kids to believe. As the hours passed and the sun started rising, I felt myself become sleepy. I yawned and leaned further into the couch. The sounds of the fire crackling became louder as North and Bunnymund became quiet. I'd hear the yetis talk every once in a while, work starting up again as usual, but, they weren't that loud. The warmth of it all seemed to tense me up. Still, I started falling asleep soon enough. There was a whisper or two, a yawn, and I was out like a light.

* * *

_It was dark. It was cold. It was…familiar._

_At first, I was scared. Then…I got used to it. This feeling of being held but, there was nothing around me._

_A dim stream of light began to come through and lit up the area to an extent. The space around me was blue and seemed to be sitting on my chest. It was hard to breathe…_

_My eyes darted all around and I opened my mouth to scream for help. Nothing came out. In the distance, I saw a few figures floating around in the blue mass. Pushing off with my feet, I floated over to them._

_When the light shined on their face, my eyes opened wide with horror._

_It was Jamie. His eyes were closed and his skin was as pale as my own. From the way his hair flowed, I could tell we were in water. I grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him, silently screaming his name. Out in the distance, the light shined on a few other figures. Pulling Jamie along, my heart began to beat faster then ever._

_North, Sandy, Bunny…Tooth. They were all just like him. Eyes closed, lifeless faces._

_I shook my head in disbelief. No. No, there was no way this could happen. This COULDN'T happen!_

_"Jack…"_

_That voice…I knew that voice…_

_Turning around, shock hit me at full force. Her chestnut brown hair flowed all around her. Her wood colored eyes bore into mine. Before this it was hard to breathe. Now, I couldn't feel my lungs move at all._

_Her mouth stayed shut and still, which scared me even more then her stare. In my memories, she was always smiling and laughing._

_"You're no Guardian, Jack…" Her voice echoed and flowed as she spoke. "You couldn't protect me after you left. You failed as a brother…"_

_"We never wanted you…" I turned around to stare into Tooth's once happy, pink eyes. "We were forced to have you. You're nothing but a nuisance…"_

_Bunny's eyes opened and stared into mine. "We shouldn't have ever trusted you…ya ruin everythin' ya touch."_

_"Man in moon was wrong. There is nothing special about you." North's voice boomed over the others._

_I felt myself suffocate as I stared into the eyes of everyone. They repeated themselves, their voices getting louder and louder by the second. I shook my head and tried to scream back, tell them I was sorry. But, my voice was silent and my tears froze at my eye lids. I tried to swim away but their voices only echoed louder in my ears. Throwing up my hands, I went to cover them. Only one hand met an ear. Looking down, my eyes went wide and the other voices went quiet._

_Jamie's melted chocolate eyes stared into mine, fear and hate glazing them. His voice was harsh as it spoke and sent arrows throughout my body._

_"You killed me."_

* * *

"Hey, it's alright!"

My eyes snapped open and I quickly looked around. All I could see clearly was a pair of large, furry hands holding my arms. I began to panic, my breathing quickened.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Frostbite. I ain't gonna hurt ya."

Bunny patted my head in effort to calm me down. Usually, there was a fire in his eyes. Now, they just reminded me of grass. I stared at him for a moment, trying to remember where I was. Leaning forward, I dug my head into his chest, shaking. Sweat dripped off my nose and chin. The only time I remember ever being this scared was way back when I was a human. Seeing those white cracks in the ice under my sister stopped my heart. This…this completely shattered it.

He rubbed my back and looked over at the door as it opened, North coming in with a concerned expression. "What happened?" He asked, his accent thicker then normal due to his worry.

"I don't know. Was walkin' around an' heard him screamin'." Bunny answered, looking down at me.

I stared at his fluffy chest and watched as the frost slowly melted away. This hasn't happened to me in over three hundred years. Whenever I slept, it wasn't for more then an hour or so. Never long enough to have an actual dream. Another large, warm hand patted me on the shoulder and stayed.

"Jack…what happened?" North's voice was commanding but gentle. Almost like a father's voice usually is.

Shaking my head I looked up at him, the words tasting bitter as they flew off my lips.

"I think I had a nightmare."

* * *

The moon was full and helped light up the streets and alleyways. True, the street lights were on and yes, they did light the way. But, they weren't as strong and as bright as the moon was.

The cars stayed parked and the wind was still. No sign of life anywhere aside from the occasional meowing of the stray cats. With Burgess being such a small town, it was normal this time of night. Everything was calm. And, somehow eerie. If you weren't from around here, you would feel on edge. Like someone would come out and attack you at any moment.

Another noise began to echo off of the buildings. The sound of bare feet running on the tar broke the silence of the night. If anyone would have looked out their window, they would have been shocked to see little Sophie Bennett running the streets, her blonde, messy hair flopping this way and that. Her heart pounded against her chest and her legs became jelly as she ran. The street lights behind her blew out one by one which only made her run even faster, if that was possible. She turned the corner and tripped, her body falling a foot away. The pain in her knee soared through her body and she hissed as she bent it. But, the more she sat her, the more scared she became. Looking up, she saw a large shadow walking smoothly, causing the lights to blow. With a gasp, she jumped up and ran into an alleyway the moon had lit up for her.

"You can't run, child."

The voice. Oh, _that voice_. It sent shivers up her spin, it made her hair stick on end. It seemed to draw her in. She shook her head and looked up at the brick wall at the end of the alley. Her small hands traced the bricks frantically as if she would press a special button and another street would appear before her.

A large shadow covered up her vision and she sank to the ground, gasping as she looked up at the man.

His eyes glittered from silver to gold out of delight. The sight of the frightened child was enough to make him as giddy as a school girl.

True, children have been able to see him lately and yes, they had been just as afraid, if not more. But this, this was the cheery on top. A _Bennett_ child. Scared of him! He felt his lips curl into a wicked smile, his shark like teeth gleaming in the light. A low chuckled escaped his throat as he approached Sophie, shadows dancing around him.

"Now look at you…" He said, the only light now coming from his eyes. "A perfect canvas for a perfect nightmare."

* * *

The alarm clock bounced as it went off, shaking whatever was on his nightstand. Since Jack wasn't around, he went to bed early that night. Waking up this morning wasn't that bad. But, he still wished there was no school.

With a yawn, Jamie slapped the alarm clock off and sat up, stretching. Breakfast could be smelt cooking downstairs. Eggs, bacon, toast; it was enough to make him drool. He smiled and stood up, going to his closet. After a moment of thought, he slipped on a long sleeved olive shirt and a blue plaid over shirt. Adding a pair of jeans and some socks, he walked out of his room and down the stairs.

As he began to eat his breakfast, he stared at the refrigerator which held pictures he used to draw as a child.

Some were of him, Sophie, and his mother. One of the Easter bunny was hung proudly at the top of the fridge. 'E. Aster Bunnymund' was written at the bottom of the picture in nearly perfect handwriting. He smiled as he remembered his mother's reaction to it. She said he had the greatest imagination and that it was a clever name for the fairytale figure. The rest of that day was full of arguments about how they weren't imaginary, how they were real. How they came and visited every once in a while. How Jack Frost wasn't an expression.

His mother set down a plate for herself and an extra, smiling over at her son. "Dear, can you go wake up your sister? Tell her breakfast is ready?"

"Yup." Jamie said nodding and stood up, walking back up the set of stairs.

Looking at the door, he smirked. His sister had turned even more girly over the years. The door was painted pink with yellow flower stickers everywhere. It always reminded the two of Bunnymund's warren which they visited every Easter eve to help with the eggs.

"Hey, time to get up." He said as he opened the door.

His eyes went wide as he looked around the room. Everything was strangely in place. Her flower lamp sat perfectly on her nightstand, her toys were housed in her toy box, her clothes hung perfectly in her open closet. But something was missing and his voice shook in horror as he spoke out the name of the missing object.

"Sophie?"

* * *

**A/N: Hide yo kids, hide yo wives. - ADAM **

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, I've been surfing the internet and recently found the crossover group called 'The Big Four'. For those who don't know, it's a group that consists of Merida, Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Jack (Brave, How to train your Dragon, Tangled, and Rise of the Guardians). And I began thinking, 'Adam, do a fic'. If I get at least 5 reviews saying I should do a Big Four fanfic, I shall do it. If not, eh. Anyway, enjoy. Sorry for the short chapter.**

* * *

"You alright?"

"It's nothin'."

That was a complete lie. I knew it was. Ever since I woke up, Bunny seemed completely on edge. His large foot tapped the ground repeatedly, his eyes darted across the floor, he didn't look any of us in the eyes.

It was clear North didn't notice. He was busy contacting Tooth, Sandy, and the rest of the children protecting spirits that roamed the Earth. We were all ordered to stay away from the shadows and try our best to stay awake. If we needed to sleep, we would need to do so in the day time with the lights on. Everyone in the workshop was alert and ready to fight if need be.

I looked down into the cup of eggnog in my hands, watching as the top slowly began to frost over. With a sigh, I took a sip and glanced back over at the Pooka standing next to me. His eyes were fixated on the Globe's controls. Lights blinked and monitors flashed words and symbols I couldn't understand. Looking up, the Globe itself was almost bare. I felt a bit weaker, but, not all too much. Bunnymund seemed shorter and North was slower then normal as he walked around barking orders. Each of us could tell the other was scared, but we never showed it or spoke about it. Every once in a while, we would give each other a knowing look, a pat on the shoulder, rubbing of an arm. We tried to comfort one another the best we could.

"Are you sure?" I asked, sipping my eggnog again.

He was silent for a moment then shook his head. "…No. I'm not sure." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing it. "Just…just somethin' doesn't feel right. Somethin' feels…outa place."

"Out of place?"

"Yeah. Like when ya misplace somethin'. Only on a bigger scale." He sighed and put his hand down, looking back up at the Globe.

I looked back up as well and stared at the lights covering Pennsylvania. There weren't as many as there were the other day, making worry flow through me. I bit my lip slightly as thoughts of Pitch coming after Jamie and Sophie swarmed my mind. The look on his face in my dream replayed over and over. Placing my cup on top of the panel, I looked up at Bunny.

"We should go check on Jamie and Sophie."

He nodded. "We should." He tapped the ground with his other foot and opened a tunnel, sending us straight to the Bennett's backyard.

Before we surfaced, I knew there was something wrong. I started feeling…misplaced as well. When we jumped out of the hole, I watched it close up, a flower taking it's place.

"Look." Aster said, sounding like a worried parent.

I didn't need to turn around to know what was going on out front. The police sirens were loud enough. Yet, I turned anyway and watched them turn the corner, parking in front of the house. Jamie and his mother ran out in their pajamas. At first, I wondered why they called the police, why they seemed so frantic. That is, until I saw the absence of a certain small blonde.

We hopped over the fence and leaned against it as we listened in. Their mother sounded like she had ran a marathon, her sentences broken as well.

"Miss. Bennett, you need to calm down for us." The first officer told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Now, can you go inside and get us the most recent picture of your daughter?"

She nodded and mumbled as she ran in. Both officers turned to Jamie, their note pads and pens ready.

"Now, did you hear anything last night? A door opening, footsteps?"

He shook his head. He began playing with his fingers as he thought, not making eye contact with either of the men. "No, sir, I didn't. I was asleep."

They nodded and began writing everything down. "Do you know anyone that could have taken your sister?"

"Taken!?" Bunny screamed, his eyes wide with horror.

As far as I knew, Sophie was the first child to get close to him. Their bond was strong like mine and Jamie's, if not stronger. She went to him for everything. Whenever the other girls bullied her, made her cry, Bunnymund would feel the pain as well. He would tunnel his way to the backyard; day or night. She often visited him in his Warren as well. Whenever she wanted to see him, she ran out to the backyard and pulled up one of the flowers that closed the tunnels, which, caused them to open once more.

Hearing that Sophie, _his_ believer was kidnapped…I couldn't imagine the pain of going through that. If something happened to Jamie…

He sank to his knees as he continued to listen, Jamie trying his hardest not to look over.

"No. My sister is the sweetest kid. Don't know anyone that would want to take her." He said, nibbling on his thumb.

The police officers looked at each other, one giving a nod before he walked into the house. "Right. Are you sure you didn't hear any screams?"

"No, I didn't hear anything." His voice started to rise and crack slightly.

Sighing, the officer nodded. "Would there be a reason why your sister left? Was she being bullied, fights at home?"

"If tha' was the reason, she'd be with me right now!" Bunny screamed.

He narrowed his eyes at the man, getting closer. Jamie watched him and looked over at me, not knowing what to do. He hardly ever got _this_ angry. Sure, he did get annoyed whenever I bothered him and, yes, he did get frustrated when I messed up a few of his eggs. The only time I ever heard this tone of voice come from him was when Easter was ruined and children stopped believing in him.

The officer turned to glance at me, raising an eyebrow. "What're you staring at, kid?" He asked.

Jamie shook his head and turned back to him. "Nothing, sir. And no. There would be no reason why she left."

"Hey chief." The other said, coming out of the house. "There were no signs of struggling. Closet door was open and it was full, nothing missing. Her window was open." He said, handing him a picture of Sophie.

"She didn't run away…" I mumbled, looking over at Bunny.

His eyes were open wide with horror as we came to the same conclusion. Sophie would have screamed if it was any old intruder. We taught her to do so. She wouldn't have screamed, though, if it was Pitch. No. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream in fear. We taught her to run if she saw him.

"It was Pitch…" He said slowly, his voice shaking.

"Pitch?" Jamie asked.

"Pitch?" The officer repeated. "Who is Pitch?"

Jamie shook his head again and looked up at him. "The bogeyman."

Silence took over as everyone stared at one another. A moment later, both police officials just about laughed their lungs out. Even though it seemed funny to them, it wasn't funny to us. The three of us glared at them with pure hatred.

"This isn't fucking funny!" Jamie screamed. "My sister was taken by the most feared man on the damn planet and you're sitting here cracking up!?"

They both immediately stopped, pointing a pen in his face. "Look here, kid. Don't you go swearing at us. We could arrest you for that. Now, just tell us where your sister might have gone and we'll be on our way."

"I _don't know_ where she could have gone." He hissed through his teeth. "You got a picture of her. Go look."

Thankfully, they left after that. Jamie sighed and ran his hand through his hair, turning to face me. "Jack, you look horrible."

"Well gee, _thanks_. You look like a million bucks yourself." I said with a smile.

He shook his head and walked over as I yawned and leaned on my crook. "No, you have bags under your eyes."

"Bags?"

There were some nights I hardly slept. Some of those nights, it was because I had slept earlier that day. Other nights, worrying kept me up. Even though he couldn't get to them, I stayed up for weeks after my first battle with Pitch; worried that he would return as quick as he left.

Two years ago, the twins stopped believing as well as Monty. I stayed up for months after that worrying that I'd start to lose everybody else. Cupcake lost her faith in us earlier this year. It was strange, throwing snow balls at them and expecting their happy faces, but, receiving annoyed looks instead. Other, smaller children believed in me. In fact, they waited for me at the playground during recess; ready for a snow battle. But, your first believers are special. Especially if you've spent so much time with them.

I touched the space under my eyes and felt my fingers sink slightly more then normal. That nap I took wasn't restful due to the nightmare.

"Yeah…are you alright?" He asked, looking me over.

I nodded and smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well."

"He had a nightmare." Bunny explained. "Hasn' felt right since."

Jamie nodded and looked over at him. He still shook slightly as he held onto my shoulder. Maybe it was the adrenaline from being scared. "Nightmare? But, I thought Sandy made sure all the Guardians had perfect dreams."

I shook my head. "Not all the time. We have to come up with our own dreams sometimes."

With a yawn, he nodded again and leaned against me. "Where do you think she is?" He whispered.

"Don't know."

I couldn't imagine. Back when I first became Jack Frost, I had no memory of my human self. No memory of my sister. And, when I did find out about her, I at least knew where she was. Somewhere in the Burgess cemetery. But, Jamie didn't know where Sophie was. Nobody did. For all we know, she could be…

Bunnymund cleared his throat and interrupted my thoughts. "Let's head down to tha Warren. See if she's there."

* * *

**A/N: Favorite Guardian: E. Aster Bunnymund. Why? He's a giant ball of cottontail fluff but he's still badass. Who is your favorite Guardian and why? - ADAM **

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. We lost internet for the week. But, it's back up now. Um...enjoy? I think this chapter is crappy, but, you know. **

* * *

Everything was calm. A few birds chirped here and there, water flowed down the small creek peacefully. Most of the flowers that littered the ground were still buds; more then likely full of eggs for next Easter.

The peeps of baby chicks entered my ears and I turned to look over, seeing a whole flock of them. Jamie smiled and bent down to pick one of them up.

He chuckled and stroked the top of it's head. "Peeps." He said, placing the chick on his shoulder.

Even with the Peeps chirping, the birds singing, the water flowing, and the breeze blowing, the Warren was still oddly quiet. Whenever Sophie visited, you could hear her hum a song she was into at the time or talk to the large egg statue warriors; something she usually did when she waited for Bunnymund to arrive. The strange peaceful feeling we had when we first arrived was now replaced with panic. I jumped from rock to rock, looking in every corner of the place.

We all called her name and told her that this little game of hide and seek was no longer funny. Jamie began swearing, punching rocks almost every five minutes. The sound of Aster's feet tapping the ground began to echo. My whispers to the wind became stuttered pleads for help. After what seemed like forever, we all regrouped at the large tree in the middle of the Warren. We leaned against it, panting, our throats sore from yelling. Jamie shook his head and weaved his fingers through his messy brown hair.

"There's no way…" He whispered in between breaths. "There's no way…her light, it's too strong…right?"

Bunny shook his head, looking over at us. "Anythin' can happen, mate. Anyone's light could go out. 'Ven yours."

"But why does he need her?" He asked, standing up. "Why Sophie?!"

Silence overtook us and the sunlight began to fade. Without a word, we agreed that we needed some rest.

To make sure that no nightmare sand entered our dreams, we each took a turn staying awake while the others slept. I took first shift. The two of them curled up next to me and quickly fell to sleep. Soon, it was almost completely dark. Fireflies buzzed around and jumped from flower to flower. A few of the egg warriors lit torches all around. The warmth from the air encased me like a blanket and I shivered for the first time in years. I almost felt…_human_.

It was strange, really. I mean, the cold was always so soothing; it lulled me right to sleep. If anything or anyplace got too hot, my temperature would dramatically drop to keep me nice and cool. Sure, there were times where I would look in the windows of homes and wonder what it must be like to be that warm. I never thought it would feel like this. Sweat dripped off my nose after a while and landed on the grass around me. Normally, I would look down and watch it freeze a leaf or turn into a snowflake, the grass already frosted. But, this new sight started scaring me. The grass was perfect and green, the sweat drop simply rolling off into the ground. I looked up into the tree the try and calm myself down, watching the lights of the fireflies dance around. One by one, they started going out and the leaves on the tree began to brown, falling off. The children; they weren't believing in us anymore. Feeling him shift next to me, I looked down at Bunny. I hoped the heat was playing tricks on me because, for a second, he seemed smaller then normal.

The air started to become thick and it was getting hard for me to breathe. What did Jamie say when it became like this? Humid. That seems about right.

My eye lids slowly fell closed and I felt myself drift off into my own thoughts…

* * *

_"Aster!" A cheerful voice called._

_The owner of the voice, a small boy, laughed as he ran around the colorful playground. Tip toeing over to the large tree, he jumped and raised his arms up over his head._

_"Boo!" He exclaimed._

_His smile quickly turned into a frown upon seeing nothing but the tree's shadow. Throwing his arms to his sides, he ran around the large trunk. He could have sworn he saw the large Pooka around here._

_The five year old laughed slightly, cupping his hands around his mouth. "E. Aster! E. Aster Bunnymund!" He called._

_His voice echoed throughout the Warren and caused several birds to fly away from their nests. A rustle in the tree entered his ears and he looked up, laughing as the Easter bunny fell from his branch and onto him. The child playfully tried to push him off._

_"Aster, you're too big!" He said, laughing._

_The Pooka chuckled and sat up, picking the boy up and cradling him in his large arms. "Oh, am I?"_

_He nodded with a grin. "Uh-huh! You're biggeh then my Pa!"_

_"An' how big is your Pa?" Bunny asked, sitting down at the base of the tree._

_The child twisted his face as he thought. This caused the other to chuckle in amusement. He scratched his nose and rubbed his ear, smiling when the answer finally came to him. Twisting his hand side ways, he placed it just below the older one's chin, looking proud of himself as he did so._

_"He's about this big." He announced, nodding._

_"Well, tha's pretty big. Soon, you'll be that big." Aster said, leaning back into the tree._

_Feeling the boy curl up in his arms made him curl up as well. A frown curled on his lips as he closed his eyes. This boy, his very first believer, would soon be old and have a family of his own. He'll get a job and forget all about him. The thought gripped his heart and pulled forcefully. He shook his head._

_"Jus promise you won' grow up too quick." He said._

_As the words left his lips, the atmosphere changed. The small hands that were twirling his fur slowly became longer and sharper, almost pulling out each silky strand it touched. The peaceful sounds of the birds were quickly silenced and the air became hotter. Fire crackled all around him and the Earth below became dry. He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing nothing but darkness and flames._

_"Oh, Aster…" He heard from his lap._

_His eyes refused to look down, his chest becoming tight with fear and pain. The hands of the child dug into his shoulder and forced him down. His chuckle wasn't playful or remotely innocent as it left his throat. In fact, it was completely terrifying. It would have sent shivers up Bunny's spin, but it didn't. No, what sent those were the look of the boy's eyes. Dark and sunken, little red dots baring into his own wide green eyes._

_He smirked, his teeth turning into long, demon fangs; his voice becoming acid as he spoke again._

_"I wasn't able to grow up _at all._"_

* * *

The only thing that made me terrified was the look in his eyes.

For five minutes, Bunnymund had been twisting and turning, screaming his head off. He repeated over and over how sorry he was, but, I have no idea why he was sorry in the first place. Me and Jamie shook each side of him until he finally snapped out of it. When he opened his eyes, all I could see was pure fear. Never had he ever acted like this. The fur around his eyes were soaked and matted down, giving him an even scarier look.

I placed a calm hand on him as he looked around and tried to catch his breath. "It was a nightmare, wasn't it?"

He quickly shook his head. "No, it couldn've been." His accent was so thick, I could hardly understand it.

"What was it about?" Jamie asked, sitting down next to him.

Bunny stood up and pushed us aside lightly. "I didn't have a nightmare!" Before either of us could sit up, he walked off, heading toward his small paint shop.

I sighed as I watched him leave, an egg warrior standing guard in the doorway. Leaning back against the large tree, I felt my face burn with the rest of me. I hated this.

"Jack…?" Jamie asked, leaning against the tree next to me.

Slowly, I turned to look at him. His chocolate eyes were looking me over as his skin got paler. Almost like he had seen a ghost. When he finally looked me in the eye, his were full of worry. I smiled reassuringly, but, he didn't seem to buy it.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, readjusting myself. "So many kids have stopped believing in me."

He smiled sadly. "I still believe in you."

A slight chuckle escaped my throat and I shook my head, weaving my fingers through my hair. "For now. But, you know, Jamie, you're going to grow up. You're going to think of all of us as just a, just a fairytale."

Ugh, here we go. My nervous stuttering.

"No I won't." He said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "How could I stop believing? You visit me all the time! You all do. I could never just forget you guys!"

I smiled slightly and looked at him. "Jamie, I've been around for a long time. Many, many, many kids have said they'd never stop. But…it's just a, a, a, a lie they tell themselves."

Tears began pooling around the edge of his eyes, his head slightly shaking. We had been together for six years. Whenever he needed advice, I was there to give it to him. When the time came where girls were attractive, I was there to help him learn to ice skate to impress them. I couldn't count on my fingers the number of times I pulled the fire alarm just so he could get out of school a little early. No, we were more then a believer and a Guardian. We were brothers.

But, every time somebody walked through me, I was pulled back to reality. Someday, the next person to walk through me would be this very kid.

He turned his head away, his voice cracked as he spoke. "It's not a damn lie. I'm not going to stop believing and you know it."

"I wish I did…" I muttered under my breath.

We stayed like this for a while. Every once in a while, a Peep would come waddling over and sit between us. Jamie would reach over and pick it up, placing it in his lap. The two would play around for a moment then, the Peep would stand up and waddle off. This continued for about an hour or so. When the sunlight began pouring in, I looked over at the egg warrior. The thing hadn't moved an inch. I sighed and stared at it, almost waiting for Bunny to come racing out.

Jamie stood up and dusted off his pants, holding out his hand to me. "Come on. Let's go get him and find Sophie."

"…Yeah." I grabbed his hand and shivered. Strange. I was always the cold handed one.

Looking at his face, I could tell he was surprised too. I smiled slightly and leaned against my crook as I walked. He kept offering his arm but, I kept telling him I was fine. He would roll his eyes and shake his head, muttering under his breath. I would roll my eyes and chuckle, rubbing his shoulder to help him relax. The last thing he needed was to be worrying about me.

The egg warrior's face began to turn and show an angry glare. Jamie narrowed his eyes at it; something he always did when the warrior's faces turned. It was a sort of staring game they played. When the warrior's face didn't turn, he sighed and turned away.

"Shit…thought that would work." He muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

I smiled and patted his head. "A for effort." I said, trying my hardest to imitate North. To my relief, it made him laugh slightly.

"Alright, look." The egg warrior turned to me as I turned to it, standing up straighter to almost loom over me. "Either you're going to let us in there _or_ I'm going to go around and smash every egg bud."

Even with a threat, it didn't move. With a yawn, I shook my head and pointed my crook at him. "I don't care what that kangaroo told you, you let us in. Now."

Still, it didn't budge. Jamie ran off and disappeared behind a rock as I began my own staring contest with the warrior. Usually, I could go a long while without blinking. But this heat and this warm breeze made it hard for me to just open my eyes with them watering. The contest didn't last long before we heard a slight cracked scream of surprise.

"Help! I found Sophie!" He screamed, waving the warrior over from behind the rock.

It's face turned into one of concern and it's little legs began running over. I smiled slightly and walked in. Designs were sketched all over the walls, flowers hung from the ceiling. Over in the corner, I saw a much smaller Bunnymund; only about as tall as me. Maybe even shorter. I sat on one of his desks and picked up a scrap of paper, looking over the designs he created for Easter next year.

"Very nice, Cottontail." I commented. "The kids will go crazy for these wiggly lines and pretty dots."

He turned and glared at me, putting down his sketch book. "What're you doin' here? Thought you'd be at the tree."

"I was. But, we need to get going. Sophie isn't going to save herself." I placed the paper down and stood up.

It was clear that he was surprised by my look. His green eyes were huge, his jaw almost hitting the floor. He stumbled as he grabbed a small hand mirror and handed it to me. I looked at him for a moment, wondering if it was really that bad. I mean, sure, Jamie told me I looked horrible, but, just how horrible did I look? If it was enough to jump the great Easter bunny, it must have been bad. My hands shook slightly as I raised the mirror up to my face.

The light that usually brightened my eyes had faded, my hair becoming gray. My cheeks were blushed and there was color to my face. The bags that hung under my eyes were deeper and darker, almost making me look like a raccoon. I looked up over the mirror and stared at him as he nodded, as if to answer my question on how bad I looked. There was a weight on my shoulders as I sat down, a weight that had never been there before. A breeze blew though the room and I could almost hear the wind tell me how sorry it was that this happened. I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair, sighing.

"I'm sorry, Frostbite." Bunny said as he sat next to me. "This happens when they don't believe. And it hurts, I know, but we'll get 'em believin' again in no time."

He placed a hand on my shoulder as I looked up at him. "I hope you're right."

"Mate, I'm _always_ right."

* * *

She was so close to them, so close! She could hear them breathing. Part of her began screaming, begging for her arm to reach out and wake them. But, the other half slapped the notion away. If she did that, then she would be in trouble. And who knows what could happen if HE found out. Oh, all the nightmares she had when she was smaller, the nightmares she had now. HE knew every single one of them and could use them against her if she misbehaved. She bit her lip in fear that he was watching her right this moment.

The fireflies buzzed all around as she kept her eyes on the three, watching as one of them lifted their heads to stare up. She shifted so those pair of blue eyes didn't meet hers. Dead leaves began to fall off the branches and land all around them. Slowly, Jack looked back down and was soon asleep. She clutched the jar tightly in her small hands and untwisted the cap, watching as the nightmare sand was swept away, landing on Bunny's head.

Her eyes became wide as she watched this. He was _her_ Guardian. And now, she was helping ruin him. No. There was no way to forgive her after this.

She watched closely, biting her lip harder as he twisted in his sleep. By the time he had started screaming, her lip was pouring out blood. The nightmare sand quickly danced back into the jar before the others even opened their eyes. With a jump, she ran back into the shadows and found herself in the most terrifying place. HIS lair.

The cages that hung from above rattled slightly as she walked past them, heading straight for the dark globe at the center of the room. All she saw other then a few lights were his eyes, golden with delight.

"Good job, my precious child." He said, his voice horridly soothing.

She handed him the jar. "The Easter bunny's nightmare." She whimpered. Even though she had screamed for hours on end the first moment she was brought there, her voice hadn't changed. It still hinted her childlike innocence.

He smirked and opened the jar, allowing the sand to pour out and show him the wonderful show. A chuckle escaped him now and then, a nod or two every minute. She had turned her head and ignored everything about it, not wanting to see or hear. When it was over, he twisted his hand and the sand followed it, wrapping itself around Sophie. Once again, she bit her lip and closed her eyes. He had done this once before to see if his plan could truly work. And it could.

When the sand fell, she opened her eyes and looked at herself. Boy's clothes? They looked so old.

Pitch laughed wickedly and nodded, walking around her to get a good look.

"Yes, yes…perfect."

* * *

**A/N: I believe in many headcanons. I have one headcanon that Bunny's first believer was a small boy that died very young of a sickness. So, he kept to his work and tried his hardest not to get too attached to the other children. **

**I also believe in the headcanon that Baby Tooth is Jack's sister. Cute. - ADAM**

**By the way, I know how to spell. Mostly. I just like writing accents. **

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: That awesome moment when it's hot out. Just kidding, I ****_hate the heat_****. I ****_loath_**** it. But, today, I promised to bring my little brother to the park. Only thing is, I forgot about it completely. While I was trying on my Jack Frost cosplay, little bro, or Brosif as I call him, comes crashing in saying he's ready to go. What do I do? Stroll to the park in cosplay like a boss. I'm sitting in the shade watching kids stare at me until an ice cream truck comes rolling around. Seven different kids came up to me and gave me some ice cream saying "Here, Jack. So you don't melt." Shared with Brosif of course.**

**I guess I don't hate the heat all that much anymore. Well, as long as kids keep giving me ice cream. **

**Enjoy I guess.**

* * *

"Any better?"

The voice was muffled when it reached my ears, clearly from the water that surrounded me. In truth, I had completely forgotten that there were others around me.

We had left the Warren and returned to Burgess. Returning seemed to only make my condition even worse. When I was human, I'm sure there were days where the weather was so hot, I just couldn't take it anymore. If there were, I don't remember. Being part of winter, though, whenever the temperature got too high, my body would drop into the negatives. Three steps after crawling out of the tunnel, I was on the ground. Poor Jamie had to carry me on his back until we reached my pond. My hand held onto the rocked edge as I leaned my head back into the cool water. A moment later, my eyes closed and I completely relaxed.

"Much better…" I breathed out, smiling.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He held Bunnymund in his lap, smiling slightly back at me. Anyone that knew him could tell he was starting to get scared. His eyes were red, the corners of his lips twitched, and his fingers shook as he stroked Bunny's fur. It must be hard; watching the few you knew, the few that took care of you and protected you, slowly become weaker and weaker.

Slowly, I sat up and looked at my clothes. Not a single snowflake hung off me, no frost anywhere. My reflection scared me even more. My hair, once a perfect white, now grey. A few wrinkles chiseled my forehead and the sides of my eyes, almost showing age.

"Jack?"

I looked over at Jamie, holding onto my arms for some sort of comfort. "Y-yeah…?"

He gave me half a smile, holding Bunny closer to his chest. "Are you guys going to disappear?"

"Wha'?" Bunny asked.

"If everyone stops believing…are you all going to disappear?" His voice cracked as he spoke and it tore me.

Standing up, I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Of course not. Why would you think that? Because we're getting weaker? We've been through something like this and we'll get ourselves out of it. Don't worry, okay?"

My words didn't seem to give him any comfort. He nodded, mumbled an 'alright', and stood back up. Bunny curled himself up in his arms and tried his hardest to stay awake. We walked deeper into the woods that stood behind my pond. I leaned against my crook as I did, stopping after a while and looking around.

"Here." I said. "Here is a good enough spot."

With a nod, Jamie placed Aster on the ground and watched as he sniffed about. "Do you think you can do it?"

"I still got some believers, mate." He muttered and thumped his small foot on the ground.

The tunnel that appeared was small and narrow, nothing like his tunnels at all. In fact, it looked more like the tunnel leading into Pitch's lair. It was dark and no grass to be seen. The sight seemed to frighten him as well. He jumped back and sighed, inching closer before he finally dropped down. Jamie looked at me, almost asking if it was safe. I nodded and dropped down as well. The ride through it was nothing like how it used to be. It reminded me of the water slides in the nearby water park. I couldn't move my arms or my legs and I could feel my heart beating faster. Before long, we landed in North's workshop. The yetis jumped and began speaking their fast gibberish.

"What is all commotion?!" North boomed.

His workers all stopped, their faces falling as they moved aside for him to pass. He walked up to us, leaning on a cane. His age showed horribly; wrinkles all over his face, his beard showing grey hairs. The bags under his eyes showed his tiredness and I walked up to him.

"North, you should sit down." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off and shook his head. "Everything fine, Jack. For the most part." With a small smile, he turned to Jamie and patted his arm. "Ah! Good to see you, little friend. What is the occasion?"

Bunnymund turned in his arms and dug his head closer into his chest, his ears down as if he didn't want to hear. Jamie bit his lip, letting out a shaky sigh as he looked up at North. "Sophie is missing."

"_Missing_? How can she be _missing_?"

The news seemed to hit him hard. We all love Sophie. She was our baby, our little sister. Tooth was the one she went to for girl things; which dress to wear, makeovers. Sandy and I were the ones she would go to when she needed someone to play pranks on bullies; pour paint in their hair or mix up their lunches. She went to Bunny for almost everything. Almost.

North was the father she never had and Sophie was his baby girl. He was there for career day when her mother couldn't go, even if the adults couldn't see him. He was there for her school play, her first day of school. Taught her how to ride a bike, even.

He stumbled back and allowed the yetis to help him to a chair. Bunny hopped out of Jamie's arms and sat beside him, patting his leg for comfort.

"We checked the Warren. Have ya seen her 'round here?" He asked.

North shook his head, his eyes gazing all around as if she would pop out and laugh. "No…no, she was not here. Who…who do you think took her?"

Bunny and I looked at each other, both wondering if we should tell him. He slowly began to shake his head while I softly nodded mine. He deserved to know. Before me or him could say anything, Jamie took a step forward, his hands twisting the bottom of his shirt.

"We think it was Pitch." He said, slightly hesitating.

The usually busy workshop went silent as North put his head down. The yetis looked at each other, not sure of what to do. I bit my lip as I waited for an answer, a noise…anything. Slowly, his hands began to shake and he stood up, glancing at his workers.

"Back to work! Prepare yourselves!" With that, the elves scattered and the yetis returned to work.

He straightened his back and walked to the Globe's controls, head high. Even with the lack of believers, his hands were still huge and strong. He summoned the northern lights to call the others with a deep sigh. "This is personal matter now." He muttered, his accent thick.

I looked up at him and watched as he shook all over. At first, I thought he was crying. When his voice didn't fade or skip, I began to think that maybe the weight of his body was to much as his aged showed. Then, I looked into his eyes. It scared me slightly. Those eyes that sparkled brightly whenever he looked around, those eyes that showed a kind and loving father, weren't there anymore. He wasn't shaking from fear or sadness.

No. He was shaking from pure anger and hate.

* * *

The scenes played out in front of her like small movies. All in black and white, of course. When she had first watched them with HIM, she became scared and tried to run away. He had grabbed her and pulled her back to the sand, making her watch as the horrible nightmare danced in front of her. But, now, she had gotten used to watching them.

_He_ made her start watching each one so she would know how to act when the time came. Each nightmare lasted no more then four minutes and each was different. Each had a certain person they cared about telling them things they never wanted to hear, things they wanted to forget. In her spare time, she would act as each person in front of the mirror. The first was Jack's sister. Seeing her hair so long and brown scared her at first, but she quickly got used to it. As each one passed and her acting got better, she found that none of them made her scared. Some nights, she would go up to _him_ and say that it was no use; there was no way they'd be scared.

"Oh, my dear," He would start. "of course they'd be scared. It's their worst nightmares."

The sand slowly died down, swirling back into it's assigned jar. She twisted the cap and sighed heavily. The time to attack was getting closer and closer with every minute. She knew she would have to _hurt_ those she loved.

With slumped shoulders, she turned to the mirror that stood not to far away. Her hair looked thin and it stuck to her face. Stains marked her pajamas and dirt clung to everything. Bags hung under her eyes, showing how tired she was.

They wouldn't be scared of the nightmares. They'd be scared of her.

And would they ever forgive her for her future actions?

The tension began to build as the door slowly opened. She held her breath, scared of what to say, as _he_ began walking up to her. His eyes sifted from glittering gold back to silver, but, she didn't look up at him. She kept her stare at her own reflection, trying to ignore the hand he placed on her shoulder. A dark chuckle snaked past his grin and made her hairs stand on end.

"The time is almost here." He said, moving hair out of her face to get a better look. "Have you been preparing?"

She pressed her lips together tightly for a moment before answer in a soft voice. "Yes. Sir…what will happen to them?"

He rubbed her shoulders reassuringly, almost like a father. It made her sick to her stomach and sad at the same time. Since the moment he captured her, he was nothing but fatherly to her. He kept the nightmares away from her as much as possible. When she would lay in bed and stare at the wall, he would come in the check on her, rub her back even as he hummed an old lullaby.

"Dear, I've learned from my failures." He said as he wiped the dirt off her cheek. "If you go after small things, no matter the numbers, things will never go as planned. I tried to rule and create a new Dark Age. But, I didn't attack the source first."

She raised an eyebrow and finally looked up at her captor. "Source?" She muttered, not understanding.

He nodded and smiled. "Yes. Those Guardians are the source of the light. If they leave a note or anything to make a child believe again, the lights would shine by the thousands. If you scare them, terrify them, make them lose all hope in everything, then the lights will go out. And stay out."

Her eyes widened as he chuckled at the very thought of a darkened globe. His eyes changed back to gold, showing how sickly happy he was.

"My dear, we're going to destroy them."

* * *

**A/N: *raises hand* Yup. I suck. - ADAM**

**Reviews = Motivation = More chapters**

**I TAKE REQUESTS **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews. They really mean a lot to me. Like, you don't even know, guys. I spend my life literally in my house. I only leave to get things at the store and to pick up my little brother, Brosif. And, bring out the dog. But that's it. And, a lot of the time, my friends don't even talk to me. They are either too busy with work or fell asleep talking to new people they met at a cosplay meetup. So, the only other human beings I speak to are my mother, brother, and father. And the thing is, I can't get a job. My job is taking care of my family since I'm the only able body in the house. Seriously, my parents are sick all the time and Brosif doesn't dare lift a finger. So, seriously guys, thank you for the reviews. Gives me a chance to talk to other humans. **

**Anyway, enjoy my crapass writing.**

* * *

We all looked…pathetic. There was no way of sugar coating it.

Tooth's feathers were falling out one by one, her wings battered and torn. Baby Tooth stayed on her shoulder and tried to keep herself occupied with various things; such as smoothing out her own feathers.

Bunny was curled up on the couch, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open as well. Without warning, he would start grooming himself just to stay awake.

North sat in his usual chair and gave suggestions on how we should tackle Pitch. Should we attack from the front, all of us? Should we attack from the back? Nobody really knew the right way to go about it and, frankly, everyone looked too tired to even care.

Sandy looked the worst. His glow disappeared and his tone changed from gold to…well, beige like regular beach sand. The bags under his eyes scared me to most. They were darker then the rest of him and it worried me to the point of being sick.

I began to think back to those few years ago in the Tooth Palace. He had warned me that something like this would happen. Some part of me wonders if it was the right thing to refuse his offer. The other part of me knows that I wouldn't be who I am today if I did. I glanced over at Jamie as he began to slowly fall asleep. Reaching over, I shook his shoulder and smiled. We needed him to pay attention. He was the strongest out of all of us at the moment.

North stood up, swaying slightly as he leaned against his cane. "I'm going to check on preparations."

Tooth nodded and yawned, standing up as well. "I'll come with you." She said, handing Baby Tooth over to me before she left.

I let out a sigh as she curled up into my hand. "I got warmer, didn't I?"

She chirped and whistled like always. Letting out a yawn, she closed her eyes and fell asleep without thinking.

"Shouldn't we wake her up?" Jamie whispered.

"Nah, let her sleep. She's tired."

Bunnymund sent me a glare as he stood on his back legs. "'nd the rest of us aren'? We ALL need ta stay awake. Even her."

Bouncing her in my hand, I watched as she woke back up. She chirped and whistled, making her way up to my face as she did. I couldn't help but chuckle as she tried to slap me with those little hands. "I know, I know, but, we need to stay awake."

Sandy nodded, images appearing over his head. Only one seemed to catch my eye. The image of Pitch. Other images popped up as well, but I stopped paying attention after that. Baby Tooth seemed to understand perfectly what he was trying to get across and began chirping. I placed her next to him on the couch and grabbed my crook, heading for the balcony a couple floors up. Usually, well, by now, I would let the wind carry me up. And, it felt weird taking the elevators up.

The seats were nice, though. They were covered in red leather, bolted down with small, gold crests, and were as soft as baby lambs. Looking the entire elevator over, I began to wonder how he made it. And how long it took till it was perfect in his eyes. The wood was polished and etched with strange designs, the handles on the control panel were stunningly beautiful. Walking out of the elevator, I leaned on my crook. Everything felt withered and frail. At some point, I stopped just to make sure that I wasn't falling apart. When I finally got to the balcony, the wind greeted me happily. I smiled and whispered back to it as I leaned against the railing. My bones began to ache and I groaned in pain. Now, I understood why the elderly always left to live in the south. Being old like this isn't easy and, frankly, it hurt. Every time the wind blew, I shook. Looking down at my hands, I almost felt like screaming. The skin seemed to bag off the bones and the veins could clearly be seen underneath.

I sighed and dug them into my hoodie's pocket. We needed to find a way to stop Pitch, save Sophie, and make the children start believing again like this? We'd fall apart before we made it out the door.

* * *

There was nothing too special about the ceiling. It was white, plain, much like any regular ceiling in any regular home. Only, this place was anything but. Every minute or so, a shadow would dance across the ceiling. Sometimes it took the form of a cat. Other times it was a bird.

When they would fly past, she would lay there and wonder if he was trying to play with her. Give her false hope. Or, merely just pass a ball over to her like they were playmates. She had to admit, whenever the shadow was a bird, her heart would flutter and a small smile would appear on her face. The bird shadows were small and reminded her of the little tooth fairies. She would expect the door to fly open and her big brother to take her in his arms. It never happened, though, and her hope would be shattered once more.

Almost all day, she had been wondering around the lair, trying to find a way out. But, whenever she went threw the shadows, she found herself back in her bedroom. She sighed and laid down on the bed, giving up for the day.

Sitting up, she looked over at the jars of nightmares that sat on her shelf. As she walked closer to them, the whispers they emitted slowly became louder and louder until they were clear as day. She picked one up and looked it over. A snowflake sat on the lid. Biting her lip, she looked around the room, making sure she was alone.

"If I break them…will he know?" She whispered.

The cries of Jack Frost were loud in her ears and she wondered why his voice didn't break the jar before. Lifting it over her head, she slammed it on the ground and watched as the sand played out his nightmare.

"Enough!" She screamed and grabbed another.

Throwing it against the wall, the pained pleads of her friends became louder, almost drilling holes into her brain. She screamed and waved her arms around to help get rid of the sand. Soon enough, the voices were gone and the broken glass caused her to trip, cutting her knees open. She hissed and brought them up to her chest, her eyes going wide when the door opened.

Pitch's eyes became large as well. Large with anger and hate. The silver orbs dug into hers. "You…broke them?" He asked, his words slithering past his sharp teeth like snakes.

She shook and crawled into the corner. It was a moment before she finally nodded, hiding her face in her hands. He glared at her as he advanced.

"Do you know what you've done? You have made me _very_ angry."

* * *

"**_ACHOO_**!"

I don't ever remember sneezing before. So, it took me by surprise when I did. My chest jumped, my throat got sore. Life officially sucked.

I coughed and rubbed my neck, trying to get rid of the feeling that something was still there. Groaning, I sniffled and leaned against the railing even more. If anyone were to come out here and talk to me, or at least hear my voice, they would have thought I was sick. The great Jack Frost getting a cold. Bunny would never let me live it down.

The wind became softer, whispering it's apologies. I smiled and whispered back, saying that it was fine. That I didn't mind.

So many ideas whirled around in my head. How were we going to attack? How were we going to get Sophie back safe and sound? I sighed and groaned more. This was almost as bad as helping Jamie with his math homework.

I sat down and weaved my legs through the fence, holding onto the bars as I looked over everything. The launching deck sat below me a ways down, but, I could still hear yetis talk and elves jingle. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against one of the posts, slowly drifting off…

* * *

_"Jack!"_

_"Jackson!"_

_The voices seemed so close. Yet, when I turned, nothing was behind me save for the trees. Everything looked so beautiful, so bright and colorful. Everything looked and felt so…real. I could SMELL the grass and feel the water from the pond hit my feet. The sun's rays warmed me up, but, I didn't feel sick. It felt strangely natural._

_I laughed and began running, looking behind trees. "I'm gonna get ya!" I called as I searched._

_The voices laughed and their footsteps didn't seem to far away. With a huge grin, I ran after them at top speed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her. Her brown hair, her wide smile, her little fingers gripping the tree. She just stood there, watching me. I stopped and stared back, laughing when she gasped. Moving my foot slightly, she ran off, laughing as loud as I did as I chased her._

_All of this seemed familiar. And, at the same time, it didn't. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong._

_Yet, I shook it off. Any happy moment with my sister isn't wrong._

_As I got closer to her, I watched as she stood on the edge of the small cliff that hovered over the pond. She turned and laughed. "You'll never catch me!" She yelped._

_"Oh, but I just did."_

_Without a moment of hesitation, she jumped right in. I ran to the edge and watched as she surfaced, waving me to come in as well. Smiling, I nodded and jumped. For some reason, though, I landed on something flat, hard, and cold. Slowly, the spring around me turned to winter and the laughing stopped. She wasn't in the pond anymore. She wasn't anywhere. Did…did she freeze under the ice?_

_My eyes went wide and I began pounding on the pond's surface. It was no use, it was too thick. But, not too far away, there was a color. Brown. I cleared away the thin layer of snow and leaned closer._

_There she was. Floating. Eyes closed and body lifeless. Then another speck of color appeared. Another body. Sophie floated next to her._

_My chest began to tighten as more bodies floated closer. I jumped up, gripping my shirt as I backed away. Everyone…everyone was…_

* * *

The cold air entered my lungs bitterly and nearly froze them off. I started coughing, but it only seemed to make it worse.

"Caught a cold?" Jamie asked, sitting next to me.

He smiled and handed me a cup of North's special mint hot chocolate. I smiled back, uttered a thanks, and took a big gulp. The warm sensation it gave me felt strange and I would never be able to get used to it. He tapped his fingers on the side of his own cup, looking out over the ice canyon.

"That's usually what happens when you stay out here for to long." He muttered.

I nodded and chuckled, leaning against the posts. "Just don't tell Bunny. He'll keep making fun of me till the day I die."

"It looks like you are already dying, Jack."

To some degree, it was true. I did feel like I was already dying. If I were to lay down and close my eyes right now, I don't think I'd wake up. What made it worse was that I was still so tired. I had died already once before and I began to dig into that memory. When it first happened, my chest felt like it was under thousands of rocks. The struggle to breathe was even worse. Everything hurt. If I were to die again, I would like for it to be in my sleep.

Jaime sighed, but, smiled and looked over at me. "So, I've got a plan."

"A plan?" I asked after taking another sip of coco. "What is it?"

"Alright. In the dead of night-"

"No."

"But you didn't hear the rest of it!"

I laughed and turned to him as he continued. "In the dead of night, me and you will distract Pitch while the others get Sophie. Then, we attack."

"That's a great plan and all, but _how_ are we going to distract him?"

Jamie gave me the biggest grin in response. I hadn't seen him like that since he was twelve, just before our last 'heist'. We were going to take the cookies his mother made earlier that day, dressed in our usual black 'spy' clothes and carrying nurf guns like true secret agents. He was caught by his mother. I felt so bad for him, having to hear his mother's 'you need to grow up' speech. After that, we never did stuff like that again. So, my heart began racing with adrenaline as I watched him slowly pick up one of the childhood weapons. I smiled and laughed.

"We'll distract him with these. Ready Agent Jack?"

"I've been ready for years, Agent Jamie."

* * *

**A/N: Hi. My name is Jack. And my name is Jamie. And welcome...to Jackass. - ADAM**

**p.s. Sorry for the long wait. Been working on the Big Four fic. Finally got 5 reviews asking for it. Might post it today. Might not. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. And also, I posted up a Big Four fic here and on my deviantART page. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

I had to admit, I did feel a lot younger after putting on my 'spy gear'. A black turtle neck, black beanie cap, black pants, and black gloves. I held my crook in one hand and my toy gun in the other as I walked around Pitch's lair. Jamie held onto his gun tightly, every part of him tensed as we passed through shadows.

"You alright?" I asked.

It was hard to keep my chuckle back as I watched him jump at the sound of my voice. He nodded and looked around. "Yeah. I'm fine…just uh…just a little jumpy, I guess."

"Yeah. Just a little." I chuckled, looking around as well.

Nobody could blame him for being a little jumpy. Even though he stood up against almost every nightmare as a child, this was still scary. No matter how old you were. Back in Burgess, Pitch didn't have the power to manipulate the buildings and the moon was shining down on us; watching over us. Here…there was hardly any light at all. It was his domain and he could shift it to his choosing. He had the upper hand and anything could happen. I think that is why he was jumpy. And, as I thought it over again and again, I was starting to get tense myself.

Walking up a small set of stairs, we stared at his globe. Completely blank and free of lights. This only seemed to bring us down even more.

"Nobody's believing." Jamie mumbled, placing a hand on one of the countries. "Wait, where's my light?"

I shrugged. "We're in the shadows of the world. As far as the globes know, you don't exist."

When I looked over, he looked taken back. As if he couldn't believe the words I had just said. I knew the emotions he was going through as he thought it out, walking around the lair for things to tick Pitch off. At one point during my existence, I questioned if I was really there; if I really existed.

I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Hey, I believe in you, though."

He smiled and chuckled, shaking my hand off. "Oh, shut up." Pointing his nurf gun at the globe, he shot a bullet right over where Burgess would be. "There. Now, let's start being annoying."

The two of us spent almost an hour banging on the hanging cages, shooting bullets against the walls, and screaming our lungs out. It was almost like the old days when he was younger. When we used to go out into the woods behind my pond and just jump around screaming to let out frustration. Sometimes, we would even play baseball with sticks and rocks. Nowadays, he doesn't want to go outside. He just wants to sit in his room and play video games all day long. Maybe go on the computer, watch a movie or two. All of this that we were doing now brought me back to those woods. And, seeing Jamie jump around having just as much fun as I was, I could tell he was remembering the good times, too.

It took a while before we heard Pitch's voice booming at us. Of course, we didn't hear him over our own screaming and this only made me smile.

* * *

Every single one of them were tense. None of them had ever seen the inside of his lair, but that isn't what kept them on edge. The thought of being unarmed in his sanctuary was what made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. Or, in one case, feathers.

Aster sniffed the floor, trying his hardest to track down her scent. All he seemed to get was the strong, overpowering, bitter smell of licorice. His nose twitched and wrinkled at the smell.

Tooth held tightly onto North's coat as she looked around. The sounds of Jack and Jamie screaming made her feathers fall out even faster. She couldn't tell if they were still provoking Pitch or if they were being attacked. All she could do was listen as they followed Bunny.

Sandy stayed close as well. The group had argued about his taking part. They all wanted him to stay at the Pole, watch over things, keep an eye on the elves. He knew very well that they were scared that the events of his last encounter with Pitch would happen again. Still, he couldn't have just stayed and waited. He took an oath to protect the children of the world no matter the condition he was in. And there was no way one little fear was getting in his way.

For a moment, Bunnymund stopped and sniffed one certain spot on the ground. "Is it her?" North whispered.

"I think so. This way." Bunny whispered back, hopping down a long, narrow hallway.

There were no doors in this hallway except for one at the very end. The closer they got to it, the tighter and darker the area seemed to get. North had to turn sideways to make room for his wide body. Once they got to the door, the only thing they could see was the gold doorknob.

Tooth stared at the knob for a moment, hesitating as she reached over and turned it. Slowly, she pushed the door open, allowing light into the pitch dark room.

"Sophie?" Bunny called out as he entered.

The room was horrifyingly silent. Not even Jack and Jamie's screams could be heard. Every single one of them held their breath, waiting for an answer. Sandy entered the room, looking around for any sign of life.

"Sophie, hunny, it's us." Tooth whispered. "It's okay to come out now."

Still, no answer. No sound. Nothing. North slid into the room and smiled. He knew that if Pitch gave her nightmares, they would look much like this. All of them coming to get her. To anyone, that wouldn't be a nightmare. That'd be a wonderful dream. But, waking up and finding out that you're still where you were, it'd be torture.

He kneeled down and looked into the shadows. "Sophie. It is alright. This is not a dream."

It took a moment before they heard her foot slide against the floor. Each step she took seemed to echo in the room and it made their hearts skip a few beats. When she finally came into the light, she looked awful. Her hair was pressed up against her face, her clothes stained and dirty. Tear streaks lined her cheeks and pushed through the grim that stuck to her skin. She sniffled, staring at North as if she had no idea what to do or who he was.

With a smile, he opened his arms. "We're going to take you home."

She didn't move. In her head, she kept telling herself how this wasn't real. This was all a dream. No. This was all a nightmare. She was going to wake up any second and still be alone in the dark.

Bunnymund walked as best he could over to her, rubbing her leg in reassurance. "It's okay, lil' ankle-bitter. We're here ta get you out."

Sophie looked down at him with wide eyes. In her…nightmares, Bunny never called her that. It was a special nickname that only the Guardians knew. Nobody else could have known the name her Guardian called her. Tears formed in her eyes as she bent down and scooped up the small Pooka. He rubbed her back and tried to shush her.

"Hey. It's alright, now. Let's get ya home."

* * *

I never knew it was possible to feel this much physical pain. Sure, I had gotten into fights before and I have fallen down more times then I can count but, I hardly felt it at all. I hissed as I tried my hardest to sit up on the hard floor.

"Jamie…" My voice was torn and it burned my throat to talk.

He coughed, clearly in as much pain as I was. "Jack…" He muttered.

I tried my hardest to crawl over and put a hand on his shoulder. He laid on his side, blood dripping from his nose. His arms held his stomach tightly and I began to think he was worried it would all fall out. There were a few large wounds on his back that made me curse under my breath. This was a horrible idea. I should have never dragged him into this.

He began coughing again, a small crimson line made it's way from his temple down his cheek. "Does…does it look bad?" He whispered.

Slowly, I moved one of his arms to get a better look at his torso. Much to my horror, there stood a large gash. For once in my existence, I felt tears sting my eyes.

I shook my head. "N-not that bad…"

I lied. It was horrible. It was beyond anything I had ever seen. It looked…fatal. But, how was I supposed to tell my best friend that he was going to die?

He smiled and gave a small chuckle. "You were always bad at lying."

Out of habit, I smiled back and allowed the tears to stream down. Jamie reached up and grabbed my shoulder, trying to sit up. "No! Lay back down!" I said, pushing him back.

He shook his head as he ignored my attempt, completely standing up now. "No…we have to finish this."

Out of the corner of my eye stood Pitch, his mouth curled and his shark teeth showing. I stood up, holding my crook tightly as I took my place in front of Jamie.

He laughed. "You both don't know how pathetic you look right now, do you? You honestly think that you could win this little battle we have going?" He began circling us, his voice sending chills up my spin.

"I know your fears and I can make them happen." Pitch slowly turned his head to Jamie, giving his usual smirk. "Like, for instance, right now, your fear is dying. You know how bad it is and you know that there is no way to fix it."

"Shut up!" I screamed, pointing my crook at him.

He turned to me, his smirk disappearing and his eyes becoming silver. "As the years have gone by, your fears have changed. I've watched you from the shadows, telling those Bennett children to stay away from your iced over pond. You have a new fear, Frost."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"That history has a habit of repeating itself."

* * *

**A/N: Again, sorry it was so short...and kind of sucky. - ADAM**

**Reviews = Motivation = Chapters**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry it's so short and late, guys. I haven't been feeling well at all.**

* * *

"As the years have gone by, your fears have changed. I've watched you from the shadows, telling those Bennett children to stay away from your iced over pond. You have a new fear, Frost."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"That history has a habit of repeating itself."

I held my crook tightly in my hands, keeping it pointed toward Pitch. He knew nothing about me. _Nothing_. I've played his games before. He says one thing and your mind over thinks everything. And it's hard not to think back on certain things sometimes. It was one thing you hated but you had to respect about him. He knew how to get into people's heads and twist them around.

My eyes narrowed as I stared into his. "You know nothing about me _or_ my history. This game is getting old really fast."

"I know nothing about you?" He asked, circling us as he talked. "I know everything about you. You saved your sister from drowning in your pond, resulting in your own death."

"Shut up…" I mumbled, but, it was clear my voice wasn't heard.

He gave us his usual smirk, continuing. "And then this boy comes along and all you can see is her."

"Jack…?" Jamie asked. He gripped my shoulder with one arm, holding tightly to his side with the other. "Is that true?"

"And you're scared. Scared that if he goes on that pond with his own sister, the world would repeat itself and he'd fall in."

"I said shut up!"

"And all you'd be able to do is watch. Watch as your second chance with your sister falls in and dies." Pitch hissed as he disappeared into the shadows.

The whole place became dark. So dark, I couldn't see Jamie's face when I turned around. He squeezed my shoulder tighter, hissing in pain. I completely turned and frowned, ripping off a big chunk of my sweatshirt. As carefully as I could possibly be, I wrapped the cloth around his waist and tied it tight. He gave off a noise of pain and I mumbled a sorry. There was no sound after that. That's when it's the worst.

You knew that something horrible was about to happen when you didn't even hear your own breath leaving your body. Sliding my foot across the ground, a chill was sent up my spin. It was cold and smooth, and all too familiar.

"What is this…?" Jamie whispered.

I shook my head. "I think it's-" The sound of ice cracking echoed throughout the empty space and made my heart sink deeper into my stomach.

"What's the matter Jack?" Pitch asked from behind me. "Don't you like your little surprise?"

Whipping around to face him, my heart stopped. This wasn't his lair, anymore. It was my pond, already iced over. Snow layered the ground around us and the cold air chilled me right to the bone. His silver eyes changed to gold and his smirk became wider. I narrowed my eyes as I stared into his and pointed my crook at him once more, my hands shaking.

"Uh uh ah." He said, shaking his finger. "I don't it's me you should be worrying about."

"Jack…" His voice sounded like he was right next to me but, when I turned to face him, he was on the other side of the ice.

"Jamie." I whispered. "Jamie, you, you, you need to stay still for me."

He looked up at me with those big, brown eyes and all I could think about…was her. "Jack…" He whispered, his voice shaking. "I'm scared…"

The ice under him had already begun to crack and only got worse as he tried to make his way over to me. I put up my arms and looked at Pitch. There was no way I was going to be able to help him like how I helped her. She was smaller, much smaller compared to him. If I tried to make a game out of it, he'd fall in before I even said 'two'.

I was desperate and it showed. "Pitch, please! Don't do this!"

"You took away what I had for only a short time." He growled. "To be believed in. Now, I'm going to take away something you value."

The ice all around us continued to crack furiously. I could feel the water bubbling up from the white lines. Looking up, I watched as Jamie shook from fear. His eyes were wide and his knees buckled. He looked up at me and reached out. This little action, this little attempt at trying to save his life is the straw that broke the camel's back. The ice gave in and the water swallowed him whole. I screamed, moving as fast as I could over to the hole. Jumping in, I looked around and saw as shadows tried to pull him deeper and deeper in.

I could feel the water start entering my lungs as I swam down, grabbing him by his arm. With what strength I had left in me, I fought against the shadows and began swimming up.

But, the more we tried to swim, the more we fought, the further the hole seemed to be. It was no use and I could tell he thought so, too.

Biting my lip, I looked at him as he looked at me. His eyes still flickered, stilling showing that he was willing to fight. He wasn't ready to die. If it was possible, I would have hugged him as tight as ever. Sadly, though, the shadows started ripping us apart from one another and his eyes closed. I began to close mine as well. My mind began racing back to when I had first drowned. It had hurt more than I had ever imagined. Surely, this death wouldn't be any different. Would the others find us, our bodies floating under the ice? How would Sophie take the death of her brother? Did the others even find her?

As these questions swirled and began to become foggy, a small light forced my eyes to open. I couldn't see much, it was too bright. That was alright, though. I didn't need to. _Her_ voice echoed in the water.

"Jack. Jack, you need to save him. Big brother, please. Don't die. You can't die again. I can help you, but, you need to help me, too."

* * *

"Jack please…" Sophie whispered under her breath, her lips scrapping against Jack Frost's ear.

Sandy's golden dream sand floated all around the two, lighting them in the dim room. The group had found them just a moment ago, nightmare sand twisting around them wickedly. Bunnymund had began patching up Jamie's wound with Tooth. Even though they didn't have much, they had enough to help him survive until they could get him proper care.

North looked all around for any signs of Pitch. Thankfully, there were none. He bent down on one knee and placed a hand on Sophie's shoulder. "Are you sure this will work?" He asked.

She nodded. "It has to. I'm sure if Jack sees and hears his sister, he'll have enough strength to save both him and Jamie."

"Done." Bunny whispered, hopping over to sit by his little ankle-bitter.

The silence grew. They could hear a pin drop in the next room, it was so quiet. Everyone held their breath and stared with wide eyes as they waited. Tooth tried her hardest to hold back the tears as the minutes passed. Hope was dwindling fast as they reached ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty.

By thirty minutes, she couldn't take it anymore and finally began sobbing on North's shoulder. He held her close, trying not to cry himself. Through her crying, though, there was a small cough. It was weak and choked, but, it was there.

Silence over took them once more as they looked down at their youngest Guardian, watching as he coughed up water violently.

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**A/N: One more chapter left. - ADAM**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Last chapter. Thank you guys so much for all the love and support. If you have any requests, don't be shy. Seriously, it's not a problem, burden or bother. I really need to get my mind off something and this will help.**

* * *

**9 years later**

"Hey there…" I said nervously, my voice wavering slightly.

Laying my crook against it, I sat down in front of the tombstone. It had been many years since I last visited. The other Guardians figured it was about time I checked in. At first, I told them no, that I didn't want to. It wasn't until Bunny tried to force me down the tunnel that I finally agreed and went.

The snow fell softly, layering the ground lightly. After so many centuries, I still couldn't keep control over the weather when my feelings went array. "I haven't seen you in a while…how've you been?"

The cold stone didn't answer. The name and dates that were engraved stared back at me, almost hauntingly. I nodded and forced myself to smile.

"I've been good, too. How are the snowball fights up there? Are they any good?"

Once again, silence. Last time I visited, I imagined a voice in my head, answering every question I had. But, this time, all I could think about was how I'd never be able to see the owner of this tombstone again. How we'd never play together again, how I'd never be able to see those chocolate brown eyes light up with happiness. There were times I did think about it, but they were few and far between. I would always get distracted by the other Guardians or by the other kids that played with me during the winter.

Ice began to form around my eyes, making it harder to see. "I'll find a way to make it up there. I promise."

The wind blew softly and, even just for a second, I felt small arms wrap around my shoulders and heard the laughter we once shared. The ice began curling down my eyes and covering my cheeks.

"I need to leave now, okay? I'm meeting someone special today. Stay away from deep waters, we both know your horrible swimming skills." I said, chuckling.

With a sigh, I leaned over and hugged the stone before grabbing my crook. From the moment I woke up, I knew today was going to be a good day. Even with this little bump, things can only get better, right?

The fly wasn't particularly long. Burgess cemetery and my pond weren't that far from each other. Jamie used to get scared after seeing a horror movie, thinking that he'd be one of the first to be eaten by zombies. It took me a long to get him to calm down. Thinking back on it now, I began laughing. At the time, though, I felt like ripping my hair out.

Not too far away, a little girl and her father stood on my pond. The girl giggled, trying her hardest not to slip as her father held her arms out.

I smiled and landed by a tree, watching the two.

"Alright, Sam," The father said. "the best thing to do is not look down. It'll only scare you."

The girl stared at the tree in front of her, her eyes wide. "And just kick off like on roller blades?"

"Yup, just kick off."

Doing as her father told her, she slid across the ice on her skates, falling into the snow on the edge of the pond. I chuckled at the scene and walked over to the father, smiling up at him. "Hey, Jamie. It's been a while."

He turned around and smiled back. "It has. Almost six years, right?"

I nodded, staring at the little girl as she stood up. She was the spitting image of Jamie save for her hair which was blonde. Her chocolate eyes sparkled when she looked up and her legs wobbled as she tried to keep her balance.

Jamie laughed and walked over, picking her up before walking back over. He sat her down in front of me, his hand on her shoulder to keep her still. "Sammy, I want you to meet someone. This is Jack Frost."

"The one from your stories?" She asked, her eyes wide as she looked me over.

He laughed and nodded. "Yes, the one from my stories."

The three of us chatted for what seemed like hours. Jamie's daughter kept asking questions, making me want to pull my hair out. Just like her father. As the sun began to set, we all started a snow ball fight. Although, it didn't last very long.

"Jamie! Sam! Time for dinner!" His wife called.

The two stood up and whined, complaining that they wanted to stay outside. Sadly, they lost the battle and started walking inside. Jamie turned to me, smiling.

"Do you want to come in?"

I shook my head, picking up my crook. "Nah. I'm going to go visit my sister again. I have a lot to tell her."

He frowned slightly. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." I chuckled and smiled, looking up at him. "She's always had this habit of worrying too much. I want to make sure she's at peace."

He nodded and walked inside, taking one last look at me before closing the door. The wind blew softly again, whispering into my ear.

For a moment, I heard the laughter again, the small arms wrapping around my waist as if a child was holding onto me, not wanting to let go.

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**A/N: Dedicated to my own little sister. **

**_Samantha _****_Jean Williams _**

**_November 5, 1996 - May 25, 2005_**

**Big brother is sorry he couldn't save you. **

**If, when I meet you again, would a snowball fight make you forgive me?**

**Thank you guys for all the support and loves you gave this fic. Sorry this chapter isn't as good as the others. My mind has been going 20 different places. Like I said, to help me keep on track, request anything you want. - ADAM**


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